Berg and Rogers dent Derbyshire

Stumps Middlesex 115 for 1 (Rogers 66*) v Derbyshire 154 (Berg 4-18)
Scorecard

Gareth Berg ripped the heart out of Derbyshire's batting and Chris Rogers returned to torment his former team-mates as Middlesex dominated the first day of the sides' County Championship Division Two clash at Derby. The all-rounder took 4 for 0 in 27 balls to spark a collapse that saw the home side crash from 45 for 1 to 154 all out. Rogers, who left Derbyshire at the end of last season, then made an unbeaten 66 to carry Middlesex to 115 for 1 at stumps, 39 behind.

Berg would have celebrated his first five-wicket haul but Corey Collymore spilled a simple catch at mid-off on a day when little went right for Derbyshire, who lost skipper Luke Sutton after tea when he injured a hand keeping wicket to Tony Palladino.

Derbyshire's decision to bat first on a warm, sunny morning looked a good one after they lost only Wayne Madsen in the first 15 overs. The South African drove Tim Murtagh to point in the third over but Wes Durston and Australian Test batsman Usman Khawaja were starting to build a partnership when Berg struck.

Durston fenced at one he could have left to be caught at second slip and in the same over, Chesney Hughes also edged into the hands of Ollie Rayner. Berg was finding some swing to trouble the batsman and he tempted Khawaja into a loose drive that ended in the hands of third slip Neil Dexter after the 24-year-old had scored 16 from 55 balls in his debut innings.

Greg Smith went before lunch when he edged a defensive push at Berg and the slide continued after the interval when Collymore had Dan Redfern taken at first slip by Dawid Malan. Sutton was bowled playing back to Murtagh and when Jon Clare drove loosely to point, Derbyshire were in deep trouble at 106 for 8.

But Collymore's drop and some firm drives from Ross Whiteley, including a six off Rayner, at least earned the home side a measure of respectability before he drove a return catch back to the offspinner. Scott Newman went cheaply for Middlesex when he got a leading edge to mid-off against Tim Groenewald but Derbyshire's bowlers could not dislodge Rogers, who rode his luck on the way to a 78-ball fifty.

By then, Derbyshire's third wicketkeeper was in action after Tom Poynton was called up from a second XI game at nearby Belper to take over from Madsen, who had replaced Sutton. It was a frustrating last session for the home side who saw a number of false strokes from Rogers and Dan Housego fly just out of reach as the pair added 85 in 25 overs.